South Dakota, North Dakota to Join The Great West

ELMHURST, ILL. - The University of North Dakota (UND) and the University of South Dakota (USD) have accepted an invitation to become members of the Great West Football Conference, Commissioner Ed Grom announced today via teleconference at a joint press conference held on the campuses in Vermillion, S.D., and Grand Forks, N.D.   Both institutions will begin league competition in the 2008-09 academic year, and will be immediately eligible to compete for the conference championship.

"Both North Dakota and South Dakota have had a great deal of success at the NCAA Division II level and we expect them to be very competitive at the Football Championship Subdivision level as a member of the Great West Football Conference," Grom said.  "We are extremely excited to include these outstanding institutions in our conference."

UC Davis, Cal Poly and Southern Utah presidents voted unanimously in early July to extend an invitation for membership to both institutions, which formally accepted the invitation at the press conference today. 

"With the announced departure of North Dakota State and South Dakota State this past spring, adding North and South Dakota to the Great West is an important step in looking to the future," Grom said. "Not only do the schools fit geographically with the original footprint of the Great West, they bring a similar competitive level. The Great West was rated as the top FCS conference by the Gridiron Power Index and also by the Sagarin Ratings in 2006 and the league should be at the top in 2007. We anticipate, with the history and commitment of the University of North Dakota and the University of South Dakota, that the Great West will be at the top or near the top in 2008."

North Dakota brings a great deal of Division II success to both the FCS and the Great West. The Sioux have had winning seasons in 16 of the last 17 seasons, including a Division II national championship in 1991. During their championship run, the Fighting Sioux defeated current Great West member UC Davis in the semifinals, 14-2. North Dakota, 11-2  - including a win over I-A Northern Iowa - and ranked 8th in the final AFCA poll last season, made their 13th appearance in the NCAA playoffs and advanced to the third round before bowing out to eventual national champion Grand Valley State. In 112 years of football, the Fighting Sioux boast a 579-347-30 (.621) record. South Dakota was 9-4 and finished 13th in the final AFCA in 2006 and enter the 2007 season with an overall record of 486-451-36 (.531) in nearly 120 years of football.  The Coyotes advanced to the second round of the 2006 playoffs and had its season end at the hands of the same Grand Valley State team. 

Both schools participated in the North Central Conference, which included current Great West members North Dakota State and South Dakota State. North Dakota won or shared 23 league titles, the last coming in 2005, while South Dakota won or shared 10 titles, the last coming in 2006.  North Dakota had a 62-45-3 record vs. state rival North Dakota State, including wins in five of the last six and nine of the last 11 games, and a 33-45-5 record vs. South Dakota State. South Dakota had an overall record of 50-47-7 against state rival South Dakota State and a record of 25-48-2 vs. North Dakota State, the most memorable coming in 2002 when UND won in four overtimes, 40-37. North Dakota and South Dakota defeated their state rivals the last three times they met, in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

"This is great news for the conference," said Cal Poly Athletic Director Alison Cone.  "The established football traditions of both the University of North Dakota and University of South Dakota will solidify the Great West's standing as one of the strongest and most respected conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision. I look forward to establishing strong, competitive rivalries with the newest conference members."

Said Southern Utah AD Ken Beazer, "The conference will undoubtedly benefit from the addition of these two proven football programs. We look forward to forging a strong relationship with both USD and UND and working together with them, and the other GWFC institutions, to build upon the great reputation the conference currently has."